Like this:

I took a short break on the Currently Listening feature, but it’s back now with everything I listened to during my, say, well-documented trip around Europe. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive “if you are traveling around Europe, these are the albums to listen to!” article, because that would be fucking stupid. There’s no way to even do that. But what this is, however, is just a list and a few stories about the music that I listened to while traveling around Europe for the first time during winter vacation while studying abroad. Maybe it is interesting? Somehow?

Fucked Up – David Comes to Life

We woke up at 4am to get to the airport for a 7:45 flight from London to Barcelona. As a result, we wanted to go to sleep ridiculously early, at like 7pm. The other people in our hostel had different ideas, like loudly talking about going out and then later all sexing each other up. So since I couldn’t get any sleep, I decided the next best thing to do was to read Harry Potter while listening to David Comes to Life loud enough to drown out their voices, screams, shrieks, etc. It actually made the experience rather pleasant. I was absolutely dead the next day, however.

Best Tracks: Queen of Hearts, The Other Shoe, Running on Nothing, A Little Death

Check It Out If You: want to like hardcore punk, but actually prefer things to be a bit softer

Radiohead – In Rainbows

First album I listened to in 2012, after coming back from spending New Year’s Eve in Barcelona. My friend and I didn’t really do anything aside from wander around, see some fireworks over the sea, and wander around some more, this time having each bought a can of beer for one euro from one of the hundreds of people trying to sell alcohol in the city on New Year’s Eve, but for some reason I was in the best mood I had been in for months. No idea what caused it, but not only did I not feel horrible about everything, I had actually felt amazing the whole day. I felt like the best way to continue this mood was with In Rainbows, which it did, but I’m really not sure why. Basically just because even though it’s so incredibly mellow, it’s such beautiful sounding music?

Best Tracks: pretty much the whole thing, really

Check It Out If You: there is honestly no reason for anyone to not listen to this

The Mountain Goats – Get Lonely

I’m seriously considering doing a Mountain Goats tribute album next with the whole Murderers or Nuns project, in addition to the first album of all original music I’ve been working on. I wonder how terrible an idea that would be?

Best Tracks: Half Dead, Woke Up New

Check It Out If You: cry a lot

The Pixies – Surfer Rosa

My music for the late night flight from Barcelona to Rome. For whatever reason I decided to save listening to any new music (meaning new music to me, since I only recently decided to look into this band after recently rewatching Fight Club) for travel, such as airplanes and trains. It was a relatively late flight, however, so I wasn’t paying much attention, admittedly, so I need to listen to this again.

Best Tracks: Where Is My Mind, Vamos

Check It Out If You: want to know where Nirvana came from, feel a touch crazy

Reel Big Fish – We’re Not Happy ‘Till You’re Not Happy

Mehhhhhhhh.

Best Tracks: Don’t Start a Band, We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful, AWESOME, The Bad Guy

Check It Out If You: want to hear a great band get really old really fast

DeVotchKa – A Mad and Truthful Telling

I discovered DeVotchKa early last year with their newest album 100 Other Lovers, but haven’t actually looked into any of their other stuff yet. I decided to do so on the train from Rome to Florence, although in retrospect, I should have saved it for the flight to Prague, since it sounds at least vaguely eastern european to me. No idea if that’s accurate or not. Didn’t like this anywhere near as much as 100 Other Lovers, though. No thoughts about it yet.

The Dresden Dolls – Yes, Virginia

It has been way too long since I listened to this. Holy shit.

Best Tracks: Shores of California, Backstabber, Sex Changes, Dirty Business

Check It Out If You: think that really all you need in music is a piano and drums and lots and lots of bitterness

Bomb the Music Industry! – Vacation

I figured I was required to listen to this at some point during any vacation and saved it for the end. I was really meh about it when it first came out, but, wow, listening to it in the right context really opens the album up. It really is among BTMI!’s strongest efforts despite how much it diverges from their typical punk sound. It’s not all quite as mellow or poppy as it’s been made out to be (largely due to the first single, “Vocal Coach”), but rather just mellow and contemplative. Kind of a treasure.

Best Tracks: Can’t Complain, The Shit That You Hate, Savers, Sick Later, Why Oh Why Oh Why (Oh Oh Oh Oh), Hurrican Waves

Check It Out If You: want to see a punk band age correctly (cough cough 21st Century Breakdown cough cough)